Customer Reviews

Medium: The Complete Fifth Season

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This show has a likable, great cast. I honestly keep forgetting that Patricia Arquette is acting. She is so convincing that it's hard not to take the character of Allison seriously, instead of "what a loon." I'm a mom and it's WONDERFUL to see someone who looks like a mom instead of glamourous star with tons of makeup. Joe and Allison have real fights. Joe isn't perfect. Allison isn't perfect. Their marriage deals with faith and trust in each other, broken cars, losing jobs, taking kids to the doctor, etc. I love the family relationships. The kids act like, well, normal kids. Is anyone else tired of "super-brainy," mouthy brats being promoted on TV?

The DA, lead detective, and deputy mayor make up the other side of Allison's life. Another great ensemble! All three are down to earth and none fit into the usual niches of their roles. The DA doesn't act like a law book. The lead detective doesn't act like Starsky or Hutch. The deputy mayor is both logical and calming. They're intriguing characters and I would like to hear more of their stories, too.

I was SO glad that CBS picked up "Medium!" I am hoping that CBS will do a better job in promoting this little gem filled with a new mystery every week. With NBC and its crazy scheduling, I missed the first couple of episodes before I knew that it was back on the air. Never got to see reruns during the summer--I hope that changes.

I've purchased the first four seasons and am looking forward to this release!

Medium is definitely one of the best acted and written shows on television. Recently, NBC, canceled this series, which makes no sense whatsoever considering it still has great ratings, but not to fear, CBS in all it's infinite wisdom picked up the show from NBC, and will be airing it after Ghost Whisperer on Fridays! Now the show will definitely get the props and attention it deserves, because it truly is one of the best shows on television. If you haven't seen an episode of Medium, I suggest it highly, because it is definitely one of the best written and acted shows on television! This past season was absolutely excellent, and the last episode of this season was just absolutely incredible! This is Must See TV!

I love this show. The writing is fabulous the stories range from touching, scary, funny, to realistic. The premise, of a medium having the support of professionals (the DA and a detective) to utilize her unique gifts to help victims works. That someone who died a victim could communicate with the living to prevent another person from becoming the next victim would be wonderful, that they cared enough to do it is a powerful idea.

I suppose the most enchanting part of this show is that although it deals with the paranormal which is "out there" it feels less out there than most shows. That's because the characters look & feel like real people: overweight, skinny, tall, short, good moods, bad mood, good parenting, fights, it's all there. The family scenes really pull the show together, even though the show revolves around brutal, horrible crimes it isn't overwhelming because there is so much interplay with the family. It gives the viewer and the characters the foundation to puzzle out the obtuse messages from the "departed".

I am so glad it's been picked up for another season and I'm amazed that after 5 seasons the writing and acting still feel fresh.

"Medium" has been my favorite show on television for six seasons. This fifth season DVD continues the excellent quality of the video series. The show's great strength is anchored on Patricia Arquette's range as an actress. Her warmth with the camera lets us see a complete woman, flaws and all. It was interesting to watch Arquettes's interview on the special features on disc 5 where she relates that she is not an overly emotional person, which is dissimilar between her the character of Allison. The balance between the family dynamic, Allison's psychic experiences and the mystery of solving a criminal case and trying to fit the pieces together makes the show intriguing week after week. The excellent cast of regulars and guest stars make each episode a quality treat.

I showed the episode "A Person of Interest" to the acting class I teach to spark discussion about the difference between acting for television and film. Jake Weber's interview with Arquette also has some tips about the accelerated pace of television shooting and the way she sometimes generates an interior emotion like crying by first working on the externals. I appreciated how Arquette comments on the quality of the actor who plays the young man who plays the flashback engineer whose father burns his hand on the stovetop in that particular episode.

The fifth season episodes are very strong. Arquette directed the first episode "Soul Survivor" where the soul of a criminal transfers into the body of a miner with a spike in his head. How the episode unfolds to show a parallel story of a man who has convinced a woman that he is the incarnation of her dead husband is great writing. "How to Make a Killing in Business" is an excellent 3-part story arc where Allison leaves the DA's office to accept a high salary job in the corporate world, only to have all of the plot weave back into the solving of a grizzly crime. I was pleased to see Angelica Huston return and the actress from the old "Moonlighting" series in "The Talented Ms. Boddicker." The only suggestion I might have on the DVD package is to have a booklet with the cast delineated episode by episode. I noted the woman whose face is all over television on the new "V" series was in the "Things to Do in Phoenix When You're Dead" episode. I'd liked to have read a bit about each actor. That said, this is another excellent season of what I experience as the best show on television. Bravo!

See, here's the thing I don't get about US TV. Being a Brit, we only get treated to hand-me-downs of your shows: the UK networks wait to see what is hot before buying it and showing it 9 or 12 months late. But we sit down at a regular time, commit 22-25 weeks of our lives to getting involved in the (fictional) lives of the characters, sharing their emotions as well as their adventures, and then some US network exec, in an office remote from production, says "We've had enough of that" and the whole thing is canned!
Never mind it wins Emmys, never mind the wishes of the viewers, if the network wants to take this decision - however half-baked - we've got to put up with it.
It's fantastic news that CBS is finally airing its own product, but this again begs the question "Why didn't they show it all along?"
The simple fact is that the big corporations are interested in the "Bottom Line". If their only involvement with a show is buying it and selling the air time for a profit, then their plans are going to be influenced by the advertisers' needs and budgets, not the viewers' wishes or the producers' and writers' plans.
As broadband speeds and bandwidths both increase, TV networks around the world will be looking anxiously over their shoulders. Why? Because handled correctly, and I admit that's a big assumption, TV via computer, with its view anytime, pay for exactly what you want to see ethos, will give more power to the show producers and their audiences.
Already small independent companies are selling their own advertising time directly, and the audiences are willingly handing over their pounds and dollars to watch their output.
As the bigger companies wake up to this phenomenon, perhaps excellent shows such as Medium will find themselves less likely to be hostages of fortune to the caprice and whims of NBC, CBS and so on.

This is the fifth season of MEDIUM a creative, excellently executed drama that is one of the best on television. There are 18 episodes in this excellent season. And thank goodness this was its last season on NBC which never treated it as the quality show it is. Always a midseason replacement, always a chance of cancellation and never given quality promotion. I can give huge kudos to CBS which now carries MEDIUM this season. It has premiered gloriously in the fall like it deserves and the show's storyline has flowed effortlessly from the end of season 5.

Now back to season 5 which this review is about. MEDIUM has always been a rarity on television for its characters are very believable and real. Yes, Allison has dreams and that is the basis of the show. But foremost Allison is a wife and mother. She is not always perfect. She is human and tries her best to do good and juggle all these things. The show in no way uses the dreams as a gimmick. They are a part of Allison's life and they become real to the viewer. Her husband Joe is the perfect partner for her. He struggles often on how to be there for her as the dreams envelop her life but they have a true marriage based on love, friendship and acceptance. The three children are also very real. This is your average family that must deal with some added kicks in life. The daughters have picked up their mothers gift and life is often unpredictable.

But if you watch the show you know all this. The professional side of her life with the DA and the police department is just as believable. The highest kudos for the success of this show must go to the writers and the great ensemble cast. Every actor carries their load with great conviction. Led by the great Patricia Arquette this show for all its sordid and scary moments is based on heart. Her acting is so flawless here that you don't even realize she is doing it. Every emotion is real and every dilemma heartfelt. Allison Dubois becomes very real in her hands.

All series these days are released on dvd but MEDIUM is one that is a must have if you enjoy the show or its genre. The tension and continuity gets lost sometimes on tv with the commercials breaking in. To see it with no interruption adds to the drama and emotion immensely. Also, for all the different dreams she has there is a story line about her family and all the characters that has been a continuous ongoing drama since season one. Season five breaks the mold a little and has a 2 parter and a 3 parter. Tension runs strong as Allison is pursued by a killer who believes her dreams are signs from the devil and the show gets very very creative when Allison leaves the DA's office for a unique job opportunity. The story line is very creative and adds to the already deep drama.

The ending of the season is very dramatic with a heartwrenching conclusion that leaves a lot in the air as it provides the opportunity for the show to continue or end as no one really knew what was in the cards at that time. I won't give away the storyline but the last episodes of saeason five are among the best of the entire run of this series.

MEDIUM is television of the highest caliber and thanks to Patricia Arquette and crew the standards continue to remain very high. This is a very intense show filled with deep psychological drama and many scares. Highly recommended.

Medium is one of the best shows on TV. Shame on NBC for renewing Medium then canceling it at the last moment, but fortunately CBS picked up Medium for its 6th season. NBC canceled Medium because it was out performing the other shows like Heroes and Law and Order and their President thought it was time for it to go. Well, CBS knows how wonderful the show is and what great potential it has and it is now going to be on between Ghost Whisperer and Numbe3s. I have no idea why NBC can not make their minds up with the good shows. For example, they have canned all their soaps except Days, which I hear is going in 2010 and they never give their prime time shows a chance.

Back to Medium, Season 5 was wonderfully done and in this season we see Allison having more dreams and solving many more crimes. The girls are all growing up with different gifts of their own and I would suggest to everyone go out and buy this great season. Cynthia Keener comes back in this season as well and helps Allison solve another crime. I am getting excited to see what CBS has in store for this great Series. NBC just didn't do this show justice always starting it later in the year and I think it deserves much better than that so I won't be watching NBC anymore. Thank CBS for taking on Medium and my Television will be tuned into to CBS this fall on Friday nights.

I have never missed one show of Medium, I have all DVDS except season 6 and season 7 which I will be adding to my full 7 years of watching this show. I was so disapointed when it was canceled. Anyone that was a Medium fan should get these DVDs they are all great.

Richard

Amazon, as always, got the DVDs I ordered to me well before the original date they gave me. Medium Five is a bit weirder than Medium Four but very good...not as weird as Season Two, for instance.

In this season of Medium Allison is back to work for the District Attorney, solving crimes with her amazing psychic abilities. Someone mentioned that the season was formalistic and to a degree this is true, most episodes is about some gruesome crime, Allison have dreams about it, first interprets the dreams or visions wrong and slowly things get more clear. In between this there are family issues, often involving the three Dubois girls own psychic abilities and how that affect their lives and how the husband, Joe deals with it all. Season four changed things up quite a bit with Allison loosing her job, but now things are back usual. However this is not a bad thing, it is formalistic, but it is a formula which works.

I think this is a good season, there are several double or even tipple episodes which allow for longer and more detailed storylines. I found myself watching the entire set in three sitting as the episodes drew me in and I just had to watch another episode and another one. I had eagerly awaited this set as it took a long time to come out in Norway and it was worth the wait. Yes the season is typical Medium with very little new idea, but that is what I like about it. This series is one part paranormal show, one part crime solving and one part family drama and that just works.

I do however have some complaints which prevents me from giving this season five stars. My biggest complaint is the ending, it feels very contrived. I am not going to spoil what it is, but it just did not sit well with me, my second gripe is the relationship issues between Lee and Lynn, that is given far to little time, they should either just have dropped that subplot or given those two characters more screen time for as it is, the whole thing is more distracting from the events of the rest of the series and give very little as it is not given time to develop properly. I would also have loved to see some character development, Allison still go off half cooked every time she had a vision before taking the time to interpret it, the kids act mostly exactly the same as always, Joe still struggles with the same things as in season one, the characters feel very static.

However all this are minor gripes. This is a good season. I think everyone who is a fan of Medium will like it. Also since all the plot points from earlier seasons for the most part have been resolved, this would also make a good entry season for new viewers, though I would off course recommend people to see it from the start. I had a blast with this set, and I wholeheartedly recommend it.